Living Among Them
by Ughster
Summary: Now a half shape-shifter half vampire, Seth and the Cullens relocate to the East to start a new chapter in the Olympic Coven's history.
1. The First Day Of School

**Lex's POV **

Today was my first day of school of my second year in high school; I was looking forward to it because I didn't have to be worried about not knowing anyone so I could get right to being with my friends. My mom dropped me off at school every morning, after I got out of the car I went in search of anyone I knew. There was a big crowd outside of the school so I decided to head for the auditorium to see if I would find anyone there. On the first day of school the students are assembled in the auditorium where the principle can preach to the students about his expectations. As I walked in the center doors I looked around and finally saw someone, my best friends Jessie, Alex and Torbin were sitting together in the back rows on the right side so I thought Id join them.

"Hey Lexy!" Jessie called out

"Hi Jess" I called back

"Sup mom" Alex said slyly, he calls me mom since he sees me as a little over protective of everything, it bothered me at first but I got used to it, only when he says it. In grade school my nick name was Alex, short for Alexandria, but when I met him I shortened it to Lex because Alex was his actual name.

"Hello everyone" I replied, Torbin was looking around at the other students.

"Oh hey Lex, lots of new kids this year, way more than our class" Torbin said

"Seems like it, don't know how they keep cramming all these students in the same building, its like 100 students graduate and 200 students enter the school every year," I responded.

"There are more than just freshmen this year, couple juniors and a sophomore are also starting here this year. One of the groups is a family of like 6 adopted kids, there dad is some new hot shot doctor." Jessie explained, she was able to get any of the information she wanted to since her mother was the vice principle, if you wanted to find something out about a certain student all you needed to do was go to her and she could fill you in, she could tell you their past school grades, show pictures and basically anything there is to know about a student.

"Are they here?" I asked

"I haven't seen them yet, Ill tell you when they come in"

We spent a few minutes observing the other students and identifying the ones we already knew and the ones we didn't think we would like to know, Jessie and Alex were a bit more judgmental than me and Torbin didn't seem to care, it wasn't a big problem for me. We just sat there greeting friends that passed by and talking about teachers we hoped we would get and teachers we wouldn't want if they were the last teacher alive.

"Oh it looks like the new Doc's family has arrived, the Cullens." Jessie called out everyone turned there heads to see the new students of Hutch Tech.

"The stiff guy with the blond hair is named Jasper Hale; the short girl he's holding hands with is Alice Cullen"

"Ew, are they together?" Alex asked

"How should I know, their files don't list their relationships dummy."

"That's disgusting, their related"

"Well they have different last names and they are both adopted so technically they are not blood related so I guess it's ok" I answered

"Its still weird, like you're already married." Alex finished

"You see the big guy? His name is Emmett Cullen, not a bad looker if I do say so myself. The girl he's with is Rosalie Cullen, why are all of the cute guys always taken?" Jessie said.

"I guess doctor slash match maker? I don't know and what do you mean all the cute guys are all taken? I'm still available!" Alex scowled

"Of course you are" Jessie shot back

"Ok, see the cute guy with the brown hair, he's Edward Cullen. The girl swooning over him is Bella Swan so Ill take it that they are also together, its strange that they are all together" Jessie finished

"You're just that unlucky, heh they are almost as pale as you Torbin" Alex joked,

"I guess so" He replied

"Who's the kid next to Edward?" I asked Jessie

"Oh I forgot; that's Seth Clearwater, I'm guessing he's the sophomore. He's not bad looking either but I need a man who can kick some ass when I need him to"

I was staring at Seth while Jessie and Alex bickered over something stupid; I was trying to position myself to get a better look. I raised my head and glanced at his face, he had smooth russet skin with his golden eyes I was almost hypnotized. His hair was short and his bangs were raised but not completely spiked like you see on those arrogant guys. When I saw him turn his head and begin to look this way I quickly turned my head before we could look eye to eye. The only time I ever had a crush on anyone was with Torbin, I like have a huge crush on him but I doubt he feels about me in the same way I do about him. I looked over at Torbin and he was focused on the Cullen family like he was awaiting some tragedy, I tried looking the direction he was looking in but I didn't see anything wrong, two of them were also looking this way so I tried not to look back, do they know each other?

The assembly lasted a little more than an hour; afterward we were divided into our home rooms where we would receive our schedules. Home rooms were alphabetical and since my last name was Nowak I was in the rooms with last names M through O. Torbin's last name was Michalek so during home room him and I usually talk for the short time that home room actually lasts. I looked over at Torbin and he looked like he was frustrated with something.

"What's wrong?" I asked, no answer

"You have been acting like this ever since Jessie showed us the Cullen family, what's up?" I asked again

"It's nothing, they just seem….familiar." He finally answered

"Do we have any classes together?" I asked while looking at his schedule, we didn't unfortunately

"Bummer, at least we have the same lunch" He responded.

A few seconds later the bell rang, I thought it was funny to see all of the new comers get lost in a new building to them. It sounds mean but I guess it just makes us feel better since we did the exact same thing when we first arrived.

The first 4 periods went by quick, I didn't know that many people in those classes but I looked at it as a new opportunity to meet more people. I only knew a fraction of the people in my class so wanted to get to know as many people as possible. Some people have friends in ever graduating class, I don't know how they do it, its like they go out of their way to make sure everyone knows them.

Lunch came around and I was relieved to see that Jessie and Alex were also had it the same time I did. I looked around to see who else was in my lunch and I saw Seth Clearwater, he was sitting at a half empty table with a few other people, it must have been difficult to join a school later than everyone else. It is easier to make friends when everyone is a freshman because mostly everyone possesses the same awkwardness and urgency to make friends as quickly as possible.

"So anything interesting so far, anyone you like?" Alex asked, he was always eager to hear something new.

"Not much though I do have my eye on a certain someone" Jessie replied

"Who?" Alex asked, a bit frustrated

"One of the new guys, a junior"

"One of the Cullen's? I thought they were all with someone"

"No there are a few other new students besides the Cullen's; I'm talking about him over there, with the green eyes."

I looked over to get a good look at the latest guy she was obsessing about, she did this regularly. She would see a guy that that she imagined would be her perfect fit but it never works out.

"What's his name?" Alex asked

"Cain Crawzak, he is diffidently a feast for the eyes" Jessie answered

I was still looking at him while listening in, he seemed to be scoping out the entire cafeteria, probably hunting out for the hottest girl to hook up with. Jessie was beautiful and everything but the school sluts would get to Cain before she could.

Throughout lunch we just discussed our review of the summer and the constantly cruddy weather, we talked about the teachers we were assigned and how much we wanted to have another, nobody was ever completely satisfied with who they got, even if most of the teachers were great. I guess it's just the sort of greedy trait that comes to all people in high school. After the bell rang I ad to run up the 5th floor for my lab class, I was not out of shape but going up 5 floors and then to the other side of the building in a few minutes was tiring, especially after lunch.

I finally got to my lab class with a minute to spare, I looked around the room to see who else was in it and I saw that Seth Clearwater was which was a relief for me though I don't know why because I didn't know him but some part of me felt like I did. The lab teacher gave us a chance to choose our own lab partners pending any screw ups or misbehaviors. I got up looking around pretending like I didn't know who I wanted. I made my way to Seth and we looked at each other.

"Hi, I'm Alexandria, Lex for short" I greeted trying not to blush

"Hey, I'm Seth; you um want to be my lab partner?" He asked, I was jumping for joy on the inside.

"Sure" I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal to me. "This is your first year here isn't it?"

"Yep, first year at Hutchinson Technical…Central…School, yeah I'm new here"

I chuckled while he fumbled with the full name of the school; it really was Hutchinson Central Technical High School though nobody called it by that.

"We just call it Hutch Tech, less of a tongue twister." I suggested

"That is very helpful, seems like schools give themselves the longest name possible to seem more important, maybe just to be seen easier on the school listings"

"That's so true; the principle takes a lot of pride in the school though so you're probably right."

The day was shorter due to the assembly so the lab teacher just read us a syllabus and afterwards told us to get to know each other in the little remaining time left.

"So where did you move from?" I asked Seth

"We came from La Push, Washington"

"Geez that's really far away, what's it like over there?"

"Washington doesn't get much sun so it is pretty doom and gloom most of the time. The community population was very low; the kind of thing where everyone knows or at least tries to know everything that is going on. Kind of hard to do your own thing without everyone else trying to get involved in some way."

"Buffalo doesn't get much sun anymore, every year it seems as if there are fewer and fewer sunny days, I wasn't crazy about the sun but it keeps people in a positive attitude."

"I liked the sun too though I'm not supposed to"

"Is your family more of winter people?"

"You can say that?"

"You moved here with your family?" I asked. What a dumb question of course he did.

"Well...yeah. Carlisle, my um dad needed some work so he got a job working with a city hospital."

"I noticed that some of your brothers and sister have different last names? Are you adopted or something?" I prayed he wasn't sensitive about that, I regretted asking it.

"Yeah though it hasn't been that long, less than a year for me"

"It must be hard to suddenly move into a new home with completely new people"

"Actually it was more of a relief because I already knew the Cullen's and it was a good thing that they were there for me"

I really felt I was connecting with Seth and I was enjoying our conversation but of course the bell had to ring though if there was one thing to be relieved about it was the fact that Seth was my lab partner and depending on no major screw ups by any other groups then he would be my partner all year.

"It was nice talking to you Lex, see you tomorrow"

"Bye Seth"

My 6th period class was just another boring class except what made this boring class unique was it was about history. My 7th and 8th periods were combined into one class for my major which was architectural design; all of Alex, Jessie and Torbin were in this class. We planned this last year so that we would all have at least one class together.

"So how has your day been going hun?" Jessie asked

"Pretty good actually, most of my classes are boring, nothing happened in English, history, algebra or biology. In lab we were able to choose our own partners"

"That's good; the last thing you want is to end up with some creep. So who did you choose?"

"Seth Clearwater, since today was too short for a lesson we were able to just talk and it was actually nice talking with him"

"He's cute, no wonder you chose him"

"Probably just another guy trying to hypnotize you into getting with him" Torbin chimed with a little hostility in his voice.

"No he's not, he's sweet and actually participates in a conversation, and other guys will just nod and say 'yeah' until the girl thinks he is being courteous to them."

Torbin just shrugged it off with a sour look on his face, what was his deal? It seemed like as soon as the Cullen's entered the school he has been plotting against them.

"Woah, the hostility is blazing Tor. Do I sense a little jealousy?" Alex Teased

"No, you don't but how about you keep an eye on your own imaginary girl friend and protect her from every guy she prefers over you which is pretty much everyone" Torbin said with a smirk, Alex just scoffed and started talking with another class mate.

"The Cullen's are all very hot, you were lucky you snatched up Seth before anyone else could get to him, it's not like I didn't see any girls trying during lunch." Jessie said.

"Snatched him up? We are just lab partners, why does having a conversation with your lab partner have to be anything more than it is?"

"Whatever you say, though if you are planning on making a move I suggest you do it soon. A guy can only wait so long"

I thought about what Jessie said, I waited too long to admit my crush to Torbin and now we were best friends, anything more would seem awkward for everyone. I wanted to be Seth's friend but I wasn't sure if I wanted something more. I was attracted to him but I needed to be sure of who he really is before I do anything I may regret.


	2. A City Torn Apart

**Seth's POV**

My first day at Hutch Tech was not nearly as bothersome as I had initially thought it would be, school has never been one of my strong points but I always enjoyed being with other people. I don't really know anyone but I guess since it was my first day it is not unusual though I did befriend a few people. I wanted to start off in the same grade as Edward and the others but since I haven't finished 10th grade yet I had to start off a year behind them, must be easier for them since they all had each other to talk to. When we first arrived in the school and walked in the auditorium I was surprised to see so many kids, I don't think Ive ever seen that many students in one building.

"So how was your first day Seth?" Bella asked

"It was alright, not used to not knowing anyone"

"Did you talk to anyone?"

"Yeah but the only person I really talked to was a girl named Lex in my lab class, luckily we can be lab partners"

I was really glad that Lex and I could be partners, it wasn't so much that I didn't want to be partners with certain people but when I saw her for the first time in the auditorium I had to remind myself not to stare, I was mesmerized.

"It was annoying listening to everyone gossip about us when we walked into the auditorium, there were so many people talking that I didn't even know where the specific voices were coming from" I commented

"It happens to every new student that arrives at the school, we just happen to be the hot subject because we are a family, it has always been that way. Though that school worries me, I smelled another vampire in the auditorium and the smell was throughout the entire school, I can't tell how many there are or even if they drink human blood or not" Edward said

"Well if they were around all those people then that would mean they drink animal blood right? There's no way a human blood drinker could be around all those people and not go nuts" I said

"Maybe, depending on how much control they have. A skilled vampire can control their thirst long enough to choose a certain person and strike when the time is right, if that is the case then they couldn't have picked a better place" Edward explained

"How would be know who is a vampire?" I asked

"If you smell a different blood type than a humans and it is coming strongly from one person then you would have reason to think that they might, their eye color is an easy way to determine as well but just because they have a certain eye color doesn't mean that they are a vampire"

"I can hardly tell the difference between the two as it is, how is this suppose to work?" I asked

"When your close enough you will know, once you get the full scent of another vampire you will never forget it"

Everyone seemed normal at the school and I didn't notice any strong different smells, I guess it is because I don't know what I'm looking for, hopefully I won't need to. The next day at school was going to be the first day of actual work, I actually had to pay attention unlike Edward and the rest because they have been doing this stuff for a long time, and I am still on my first try. Hopefully I won't fall behind.

Edward drives Bella and I to school, I wasn't used to seeing so many cars, the traffic was frustrating for everyone especially Edward since he was driving. We arrived at the school about 10 minutes before the starting bell and we all just stuck together. When the bell rang I got my books and headed to home room, everyone in my home room had their own little group. There was a group of girls who thought they were better than everyone else, a group of guys who thought they were better than everyone else, and group of kids who felt they were outcasts and because of that they cast themselves out from the rest of the students, and then there were a few people who were actually fun to hang out with. I really only had one friend in my home room, Elizer Coronado, he and I had a lot in common. We both sort of looked alike, he had almost the same shade of skin, maybe a bit lighter except he was Hispanic instead of Native American. What I liked most was that he always seemed in a good mood which was a relief because it seemed lately that almost everyone I was around was either in a sour mood, stuck up, or incredibly miserable. Elizer was in most of my classes and I was relying on him to make sure I don't go completely insane from all of the school work.

My first period was global history which was easy enough because I had a good teacher and it is basically just memorization, math is what gets me with all of the formulas. This was the one subject where I already knew I was going to get a good grade. It was fun being able to work with Elizer and not feel like a constant nag asking for help. He says that he likes helping people I don't like asking for help with something I should know how to do. Next was algebra, yeah from heaven to hell in less than 5 minutes.

"If you think about it, math is all memorization too, you just need to memorize the formulas" Elizer said

"I can memorize them but when I have them written down I don't know what to do with them, it's like a puzzle 'what goes where'" I explained, Elizer already knew a lot of algebra some how so it was nice to get a little boost. I didn't like talking about algebra to anyone because I had nothing good to say about it, complaining to someone is always something I hated doing.

"It just takes practice, do enough problems and it will become second nature"

"I've got lots of time so I hope so" I did have lots of time, instead of sleeping I could just stay awake and practice my work, another perk to not needing to sleep I guess.

Halfway through the class we were assigned some problems and I got through a few of them but I got stuck on the 5th one. Elizer saw the look on my face and could tell I was struggling and gave a little advice on how to make it easier.

"Don't worry, once you get the main idea the rest become really easy" He said

"Or I could just stay in this class for 10 years and memorize every single test answer and get out that way" I said, it was a possibility.

"If you took 10 years I would come back as a teacher to make sure you get through with this, Ill bring out a whip if I have to"

"Mk, Ill be here waiting, don't worry though I'm sure by then Ill be on question 7 at least." I said with a smile.

"You better be" he said as we both laughed

The next class was English which was one of the only ones where Elizer couldn't join me, it was fairly simple just a lot of writing. English has usually been about common sense but seeing some people trying to string together was actually quite amusing. My English teacher believed in talking and communicating with his students, his main philosophy was communication which was great because I always liked talking to people.

My next class was great because I had a study hall, I didn't anyone but it gave me a chance to look at how the other students act together and a chance to do my work in school so I wouldn't have to drag it home.

At lunch I entered the cafeteria looking around; one of the most annoying things about my schedule was that Elizer didn't have the same lunch period as I did since he had some advanced class scheduled for this time. While I was looking around I heard someone call my name, I looked over and it was Lex, my lab partner, who came walking over to me.

"Hey Seth, have anywhere to sit?" she asked

"Not in particular"

"Want to come sit at my table?" She asked while pointing at a table consisting of about 5 people. One of the boys there was glaring at me like he wanted me to leave.

"Oh come on they won't bite, most likely" She reassured

"Alright but if they do you have to pick up the pieces"

We approached the table together.

"Hey guys, this is Seth" she introduced me for her friends.

"This is Jessie, Torbin, Alex, Garrett, and Cedric" she said pointing to the people she was naming.

"Hey, you're the new guy right?" Alex asked

"Oh yeah Lexy mentioned you, you're her lab partner right?" Jessie asked right after Alex.

"Yes to both" I said

"Hm you seem _normal_" Jessie commented

"Thank you? I think"

"Oh it's just that Lex has a tendency to attract complete weirdoes, especially as lab partners. I was at her grade school as well and I can't remember the last time she was assigned a lab partner that did make the goonies monster look adorable."

"Good to know I look better than a disfigured monster, was worried"

"Maybe but you mind as well be a disfigured monster compared to me, these blue eyes are irresistible. Hm you have yellowish eyes like Torbin, yeah you are a monster hah" Alex said while laughing

I looked over at Torbin and he was looking right at me, he did have the same golden eyes as me, as the rest of the Cullen family.

"Don't worry about Alex, he talks a big game but it's more like a puppy behind a pit-bull mask." Jessie said pinching Alex's cheeks.

"So where you from?" Torbin asked, was shocked a little when I heard his voice.

"La Push, Washington" I answered

"Not much sun up there, pretty dark place" He said with a look on his face as if he were concentrating on mine.

"Not exactly dark, just very cloudy"

"I hate places like that, I need the sun to work on my tan" Jessie commented

"What tan? You're Puerto Rican" Alex said

"So, tanning brings out the glow" Jessie said as she rubbed her own cheeks.

Throughout the lunch period everyone just talked about their day and when something they were good at came up they made sure everyone know, a real cocky bunch. I threw in comments here and there but I was still finding a comfortable place with this group. Lex and Torbin were fairly quiet, Torbin more so than Lex since she had Jessie to talk to but Torbin looked like he was the mediator.

After the bell rang I walked with Lex to our lab class. When we took our seats we were assigned our first lab, well it wasn't really a lab but it was a few sheets explaining how labs were to be made and how they were to be handed in. After we got that finished we were sent to the lab stations with our lab partners to check out where we would be working.

"Im not exactly a genius when it comes to this sort of thing" I admitted

"Neither am I but it shouldn't be a problem as long as you aren't squeamish or anything. In this class I hear that we have to dissect a few things." Lex said

"Oh that's not a problem; those kinds of things don't bug me. Have you had other lab partner who were and ended up doing the entire thing yourself?"

"Oh no not at all, I asked because I am squeamish and I can't deal with cutting open an animal. If you were then we would have a problem completing them wouldn't we?"

"Oh maybe not, if I were squeamish I'm sure we could just poke at the thing with a stick until something happened, I mean if we just keep going at it something is bound to happen some time"

"Isn't that what dissecting is anyway?"  
"I guess, we could just throw it against the wall and hope it explodes, would save a lot of work." I joked

"A new game, find the liver" She said while laughing.

We examined the usual equipment that we would be using throughout the year and continued to walk while we waited for the bell.

"So yesterday you heard about me, tell me about yourself now" I said

"Well I have lived in Buffalo my entire life; it used to be a nice place. The media always criticized it for its diversity saying that it was a recipe for disaster but they were wrong. Years have passed and things were looking alright, there was an equal number of almost each race and things were fine. Sure there was crime going on but that happens everywhere but as the years went by the days seemed to get darker. Soon murder went from a rare thing to a plague, it was like as the skies got darker so did people's souls. The core of the city was always a dump but around the outskirts of the city and around Buffalo used to be great but lately it seems like the whole city has gone to hell, ya know?"

I thought about what she said, it made sense. The sun being held away from the city would have attracted vampires who are not exactly exempt from attracting danger and the city has struggled to recover from the infestation.

"I wish I could say I did but back where I used to love the population was so low that nothing like that had enough privacy to do anything without being caught right off the bat"

"Sounds like a great place to live, part of me wants to leave Buffalo but the other part wants to stay because this is where my life is, I grew up here and all my friends are here and I would hate to leave all that behind." She said with a conflicted look

"It is hard, losing all of your friends to get somewhere better. I still think about all of the people I left behind when I moved here and even though I miss them I am glad that when I do remember them they are good memories."

"It must have been hard to leave all that behind, that's what I'm afraid of"

"It's easier when where you go has kind people like you" I said as we stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds.

"Yeah but nice people can't be found everywhere" she said with doubt

"Well I found you in a city thats being torn apart, you just need to believe that something good will happen and it bound to happen, you need to look at the good things in life and the good things about the city in general. If you look for the worst you will find it"

"The people in this school seem to be barley sane sometimes, I don't have a whole lot of friends and it's not like I mean the world to them, if I left nothing would really change, nobody would really notice or care that much" She said in a depressed voice.

"Your friends would, they are very close to you and look at you like a sister, of course they would care. I would care too." As I said that she looked up at me. I continued,

"You're probably the kindest and sweetest person I've met and the first couple days of school have been made much easier with you talking to me, people as kind as you should feel welcomed and should always feel loved."

"How can you make a statement like that of someone you have only known for 2 days?" she asked

"I just have a feeling, whenever your around its like the entire room gets a little brighter, just something about you enables me to trust you"

"Seth…" Lex was interrupted by the bell before should could finish.

"Thank you Seth" She said as we headed to the door.

The next period I had biology, I don't even remember what the lesson was about, I was thinking about Lex. It bothered me that someone like her could be so sad, that needed to change.

My last 2 periods I had a combined class for my major which I randomly selected to be computer engineering. I had never really used computer except for video games but I guess since it was computer work it would be able to keep my interest. The two periods seemed to go by very quickly, I guess since when you play video games time flies the same thing happens when you are doing computer work. Throughout the class I was zoning in and out between my work and Lex, I really didn't know why I was focusing so much on a girl I just met, it was strange but I liked it.

After school ended I headed to my locker and then to Edward's car, as we were driving I was sitting in the back thinking about my day. Then I remembered Torbin's gold eyes and started to wonder about the possibility of him being a vampire.

"Did he smell different than the others?" Edward asked, I guess I forgot he could read minds

"I don't know I wasn't really paying attention to that, he was about as pale as a vampire"

"He had gold eyes though, so that means he doesn't drink human blood, what's the problem?" Bella asked.

"Sometimes vampires could be hostile against other vampires, they feel that they are trespassing on their territory, it's just useful to know who to look out for" Edward answered. Torbin did seem to act uneasy around me; perhaps he was someone to watch my back around.


	3. Things Are Complicated

**Lex's POV**

Life was getting more and more complicated way too quickly. Every day I get older it seems that things get that much more complicated and it is making things more complex than Id like them to be.

The next few days of school went by quickly, quicker than I wanted. There were people that I liked seeing at school and never saw outside of it. I have been friends with Torbin for a over a year and I have only met up with him outside of school once, he was the first new friend I made in high school but everything always seemed a bit awkward with him, like we both had something to say but nobody did.

Another that I would prefer to see more was Seth, I liked talking to him because he was so down to Earth, and he was different than most people. Instead of waiting for his turn to talk he actually listened to what I was saying, very few people are like that but it is nice that I have someone to fill that role. I had not been friends with Seth for that long so if I couldn't gather enough courage to communicate better with Torbin then how could I even hope that things would be different with Seth.

Torbin and Seth was probably the most complicated thing in my life right now, my parents would hate that a girl my age thinks her biggest problems are two boys instead of something like my school work or college. One on one things were great with Torbin and Seth but with all three of us together it was more awkward than ever, there seemed to be an unspoken hostility between them but I have never heard them speak a word to each other before. It was like that as soon as they met each other they immediately jumped on each other. Whenever I talked to Torbin about the subject he tried to convince me that Seth wasn't who I think he is.

_~Flashback~_

"_Did you know Seth before he came to Hutch Tech?" I asked_

_ "No but I have seen people like him, they always turn out to be the same and it doesn't end well for you Lex. It is simple to pretend to be someone and fool others into believing it until they have you where they want you." Torbin explained_

_ "Well if that's the case then how do I know your not pretending to be someone I would like, or anyone I know?"_

_ "You have known my long enough to know who I am, same goes for Jessie and most of your friends, you just met Seth and I can see you already falling head of heels for him."_

_ "Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"_

_ "No, and you love him now?" he said in an annoyed tone_

_ "No, I was just using that as an example"_

_ "You'll see, when the chips are down he'll show his true colors, he wont seem like the person you are thinking about now, he'll eat your heart."_

_ "How do you know? You are so certain that whoever he really is is some sort of monster, you pass judgment onto him before you have ever even talked to him, how are you so certain and why is it such a big deal to you?"_

_ "I don't know for certain but I know that something is up with him, I cant tell you, I'm not even positive myself but something is not normal and why would I care? Why wouldn't I care? Lex, you are the first friend that I made in this school and you pretty much the only person in the entire school who doesn't drive me completely insane"_

_ I opened my mouth to say something but before I could even utter a word I forgot, I was just thinking about what he was saying._

_ "I'm not good, at showing how I'm feeling and at showing who I really like. I just know that you mean way more to me than I have ever shown and I'm sorry. He finished_

_ "Even without saying anything I knew or at least hoped that you cared, hearing you say that means a lot to me. I am not trying to make Seth my husband or anything, I just want you to give him a chance, talk to him and see for yourself that he is not what you think he is" I said, he hesitated a little as we locked eyes. _

_ "Ill talk to him, I don't think he is very fond of me either though"  
"That's just because he feels that you don't trust him, if you at least try to get to know him then he would let his guard down and you two could stop this never ending stare down you have going on"_

_~End Flashback~_

That was Friday and I hoped that he would still feel the same way on Monday, maybe we should have had that talk earlier in a week so that he wouldn't have so much time to think it over. It could be a good thing too I guess, maybe he will realize that I am right, that there is no real reason for him and Seth to be bickering over nothing but the more I thought about him realizing that I am right the more I think about the possibilities of me being wrong.

What if Seth really wasn't who he seemed, what if it was just a ploy to try and seduce me or something like that. It seemed like a very similar situation that I watch on TV where a guy plays nice just so he cant get with a girl and then get rid of her once he gets what he wants. The more I thought about that the more I felt like a disloyal friend to Seth for even thinking about that, I had never thought of Torbin or any one of my friends that way so why would Seth be any different? He wasn't the first guy to hit on me but this is the first one that Torbin felt really strongly about.

I was waiting to fall asleep in my bed on Sunday night; I wanted Monday to come so that I could see if Torbin could I guess 'judge' Seth. I was finally falling asleep but then Jessie called, she was obsessing over that guy again, she hated when anyone let alone a guy she liked ignored her.

"There's no way any of those future prostitutes are going to get to him before I do" she exclaimed

"That doesn't say much about you if you are after the same thing they are" I joked

"I want a relationship; they just want to get what's in his pants, totally different"

"You don't know anything about the guy, how do you know he is even your type? So far you are just judging him based on looks and every guy that you have said to be 'gorgeous' has turned out to be a total jerk, why would he be any different?" I said but as soon as I said my last word I thought that I sounded like Torbin, judging before I even knew anything about the guy, it made me feel a bit low.

"Well that won't be a problem if he would just look at me, if he would just take a few seconds to look at me then he could see if I am anything he is looking for and then we could talk. If he is just not the right kind of guy then I can just break it off but Ill never know unless I try and if it does work out then I get to be Mrs. Crawzak." She said in an excited voice.

"Even if he is a nice guy, high school relationships hardly ever work out; being Mrs. Crawzak is a long shot."

"Again, Ill never know if I don't try"

"Yeah well good luck with that, I'm tired. See you tomorrow Jess, cya"

"Always early to bed with you, well I guess a princess needs her sleep, night Lexy" she said as we both hung up, I liked talking to her but she always wanted to walk when I wasn't up for it. I layed my head back and soon enough I fell asleep, hopefully tomorrow won't be a real big deal.

Monday came and I was eagerly awaiting home room so I could talk to Torbin again, before even seeing anyone else in the hall I went into my home room and waited in a desk for him to arrive.

"Hey Lex" I heard someone call, I turned around and it was who I had hoped it would be, Torbin.

"Hi Torbin" I almost shrieked out.

"Are you still going to maintain our little peace treaty idea?" I asked

"Well that depends on how the negotiating goes" he joked

"You can't negotiate peace with another friend, you just talk to them"

"I can try" he said in a jokingly deep voice

"I have a serious question though, what makes Seth different?" I asked

"What do you mean?" He asked with a puzzled face, I thought he'd understand right away.

"There have been plenty of other guys who asked me out and you were never as defensive against them?"

"Because I knew you were smart enough to see when they were full of shit, no other guy who asked you out even had a chance."

"So does that me I'm not smart enough to see that Seth is full of shit?"

"No but he is trying harder than the rest, not many guys get this close to a girl that fast without trying a bit. There was some other guy, ugh Tony, befriended you for a while but he was too stupid to keep up the act. Haven't you noticed that after you told him you weren't interested in guys at that moment he started backing off and stopped hanging out with you?"

"I guess but what makes you think Seth won't do the same if I tell him I'm not interested?"

"Because he already knows you are, everyone sees how you look at him when he's not looking, doesn't take a genius to realize that."

He was probably right; I remembered that Jessie said almost the exact same thing to me regarding Torbin, I still do but now everything is becoming so complicated. I didn't really want Torbin to talk to Seth because what if he was like Tony and he stopped being my friend, I liked talking to Seth and even if I didn't want a relationship he was still fun to talk with and I didn't want him to go away.


	4. Secrets and Good Friends

**Seth's POV**

Towards the end of the first week of school I started to gather a routine for the shortest routes to each of my classes, for the first two or three days I just tried to make it without being late regardless of how I got there. Edward and the rest were doing their own thing, I passed by them in the halls every so often but it wasn't enough time to hang out or anything. Apparently my schedule was messed up and they forgot to assign me a gym class so Monday I have to go in the guidance office so that they can assign me one, so much for that study hall.

Rosalie is worried about me attending a gym class, she is afraid that I will not be able to control my power as a vampire to a level that is not noticeable to other people. I have practiced running at a human pace, it took concentration to try and run and not go super human speed. The hardest part was throwing or kicking something, I couldn't apply any pressure at all so it was pretty annoying. It was like I wasn't even playing, I liked playing sports with the Cullen's. It doesn't rain a whole lot in Buffalo but when it does it is most likely a thunder storm so going outside to play base ball in a random field on the outskirts is always fun. I like running as a vampire but it is tricky to do here until we have established grounds that are safe and not noticeable. I haven't really thought about it until now but I realized that I haven't phased into a wolf since coming here, it figures that now that I'm thinking about it that I want to but I know that it would be instant disaster for everyone. I realized that I stopped tying shorts to my leg every morning like I used to, we have only been here for about a month and already I am acting way differently.

Lately though I have been thinking of school, well not really school really but more specifically my lab class with Lex. It has become the highlight of my day, I didn't know why I was obsessing so much over this girl that I had only known for a week. After giving it some thought I thought back to some of the old tribe stories that we were told when we were younger. There was a story about when a wolf finds someone he loves he can't stop thinking about them and everything about them becomes their life but I can't remember the other details about it so I decided to give Jacob a call.

"Hello?" Billy Black answered the phone

"Hey Billy, this is Seth, is Jake there?"

"Oh Seth, surprised to hear from you again, Ill find him" he said, it seemed kind of awkward to speak with him.

"Hey Seth, hows it going?" Jacob greeted

"Great. A lot of people around here, way different. The school is huge"  
"Good to see your well, what do you need?"

"Well it's about one of those tribe stories that they used to tell us, the one about the guy who became in love with a girl he didn't even know so much that it was basically obsession."

"What about it?"

"I am not sure but I think that may have happened to me" I said in a shaky tone

"Its called imprinting, it happens when you look into the eyes of the girl you are meant to be with weather you want it to happen or not. Not being around your imprint can be devastating and you are right, it is pretty much obsession. So you have imprinted?"

"Well, I think...maybe. I am always ecstatic when I am around her and talking to her is always a great time to a point where leave her drives me insane, what should I do? Do I tell her?" I really didn't know, what if she didn't want to be my imprint and I was forced to love someone who was always going to reject me.

"Not unless you're sure, you could just be in love with her, if you have imprinted then she will love you back. It means you were meant to be together. If you do end up together then you tell her when you think she is ready."

"How can I tell if I imprinted on her?" I asked

"Just think of the first time you saw her, the way you felt, what you were seeing and what went through your mind at the time"

"What if she's not my imprint? I really like her."

"Then pursue her and if you are good to her then she might love you back, not having a vampire steal her from you could be an advantage" He said in a jokingly yet bitter voice.

"Hopefully" I said I really wasn't sure what was up with that Torbin kid, was he a vampire or was he just some pissed off kid who didn't like me?

"Good luck with that man, give me an update one of these days."

"No problem, thanks Jake" I said as we both said bye and hung up.

It was Monday morning and I was headed to school in Edward's car, he was talking with Bella about something but I wasn't listening. I was staring outside of the windowing just letting my thoughts wander; they all had the same overall subject, Lex. Weather it was about talking to her or just being around her or the talk I had last night with Jacob. I was thinking about the possibilities of me imprinting on her. I remembered the first time I looked at her, I at first looked at the group of people she was with but when my eyes landed on her I couldn't help but think how beautiful she was, she had dark brown hair, almost black. I tried to get a vision of her eyes, after looking back a few times I saw her blue eyes and I thought to myself that coming to this school would be a lot better than I thought. I wasn't concerned with how she might act because I thought to myself, someone that beautiful must have a kind heart and I was right, she was one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.

I split from the group to go to my locker and get ready for the day.

"Hey Seth" Elizer greeted as I entered homeroom

"What's up?"

"You doing anything tonight?" he asked

"Nothing planned"

"Me and my dad got tickets to the Sabres game tonight and we have another ticket, you want to come?" He asked with a hopeful voice. I had to think for a second to remember that the Sabres were a hockey team. I have never been to a hockey game before so this might be interesting.

"Sure, should be fun"

"Should me and my dad come pick you up or do you have a ride?"

"Well I'm not too familiar with the city yet so I guess getting a ride from you and your dad would be best." I responded. After I finished my sentence I stopped to think if I should have done that. I wasn't sure if letting someone else know where we live was a good idea, hopefully nothing will go wrong.

"Cool, we'll be there at 6, the game starts at 7" he said with excitement in his voice, I was excited as well because this was going to be the first time actually hanging out with someone else since becoming a vampire.

"Awesome, I've never been to a hockey game before so this should be fun"

"Not much hockey where you used to live?"

"Not much at all, I've watched a few games on TV though so I know a little bit of what is going on but you may have to fill me in from time to time."

"No problem, the rules change every now and then so just ask"

The bell rang and we headed off to first period, things were pretty casual which in other words mean another boring class. The day was going by pretty slowly; I was awaiting my gym period to see if I would know anyone there. The period arrived and after I got changed in the locker room I didn't notice anyone I knew but when we all entered the gym I could see that Torbin was in the class. Today the class went outside to play foot-ball or just walk around a small park, I liked foot-ball and I was really good at it too but they were playing contact foot-ball and I wasn't sure if I could play without injuring anyone so I opted to just take a walk.

The "park" was about as big as a foot-ball field so just walking around it a few times should get me through this class quick enough, I enjoyed time like that, where I can be alone and just think. As I started walking I noticed the Torbin also was not playing foot-ball. That was all the evidence I needed to tell that he was not a normal human. He sped up from behind me to catch up; I wonder what he wants…

"Seth" He called out as he was a few feet away from me; I slowed down as he caught up.

"What's up?"

"Lex wants me to talk to you" I was curious to why but before I could ask he continued.

"Look, I know people like you so I don't want any crap, what do you want with Lex?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I had an idea but I wasn't completely sure what he was referring to.

"Cut the bull shit, you think that I wouldn't know what you are when you are in the exact position I'm in right now? I know why you didn't go over and play ball with the rest of the class, it's not because you don't know how because you are built to play sports, see where I'm getting at?"

"I think so, so what's your deal?" I asked, I was a little annoyed that he was coming at me with all this.

"What do you want with Lex?"

"We're just friends, so what?" I got a bit more annoyed

"Vamps just do befriend human girls to be friends"

"Well I'm not just…So what's your excuse? You're her best friend and you're a vampire, what's the difference?"

"I already know that no harm is going to come to Lex while I'm around her, you I am not so sure."

I pulled down on my upper cheeks "You see my eyes? I am not a killer!" I was frustrated

"Having gold colored eyes means nothing to me; I have seen vampires temporarily drink animal blood just so they can disguise themselves to get passed people like me, its not going to happen again."

"So what do I have to do? I'm not a freaking killer alright!?" I said angrily, I hate that he thinks I'm a killer. He just stared at me for a few seconds.

"Well?" I questioned impatiently

"Its simple, stay away from Lex." He muttered

"Who do you think you are? I happen to actually like Lex, she's one of the only people in this school that doesn't drive me crazy and I'm not going to stay away from her just because some guy said to. If you have a thing for her then that's fine but it is not up to you to decide who she wants in her life"

"How do you see Lex?" he asked with a curious tone

"As a friend"

"But you want more don't you? More than friends."

I didn't know how to answer, right now I was fine with being friends but I wasn't sure if she thought of me the way I thought of her.

"That's why we have a problem" he finished

'That's why we have a problem', that sentence repeated in my head another time, he was probably pursuing Lex before I even came to New York but when I ask Lex about him she said that he's just her friend and when we hang out it feels right, I love to be around her but with Torbin things are going to become much more frustrating.

"So what now?" I asked

"That depends, where do you stand?"

"With Lex" I answered before I even had time to think about what to say, he just stared at me, I could feel his eyes piercing a hole in me head.

"I respect Lex so if you're her primary interest then so be it since me trying to control who she talks to wont help my situation Ill say this, if you try anything out of line or give me any reason to rip off your head I will be happy to oblige" he threatened

I was confident that if anything happened I would be able hold my own against Torbin but for some reason when he said that it sent chills down my spine. I was confused on how this could happen, just a few days ago it didn't seem like he had any interest in Lex, and I thought he hated me because I was a vampire but all of a sudden he has some vision and decides he loves Lex, it was such crap. I tried to think of something to say but when I opened my mouth came out, I quickly closed it so it wouldn't show. Before I had a chance to say anything the teacher was blowing his whistle for everyone to come back, we should stood still for about 10 seconds before h started walking to the door. I waited an extra 5 seconds before I followed, God this sucks.

The entire day I was thinking about my encounter with Torbin, what he said and how he felt towards who he thought I was. It made me angry that someone could act like that; it wasn't his paranoia that bothered me but when he kept implying that I was a killer I was losing it. Lunch was very awkward, I didn't say more than 5 words the entire time but me and Torbin would just lock eyes as if we could read each other's minds, I was pretty sure what he wanted me to know.

"Why were you so quiet in lunch?" Lex asked as we walked up to our lab class.

"I was just…thinking about a few things"

"Have you talked to Torbs yet?"

"Yeah, I got assigned to his gym class"

"What did he say?" She asked in a very interested voice

"He was concerned about a few things regarding me and you"

"I know, he was talking to me about you not being trustworthy and that I shouldn't be around you, what did he say?"

"I think we are on the same terms but he isn't going to ease up on the watchdog thing, it got me wondering though. Where do you stand with Torbin?" I asked as we sat down at our lab station

"What do you mean? Like relationship wise?" She asked, I nodded

"I'm not entirely sure, we are friends I know that but that's about it. I think I might love him but he is always acting like a big brother and instead of showing any affection towards me he just protects me, its comforting that he cares but I don't know where his head is at"

Hearing that she might love him made my stomach drop, my eyes dropped to the floor, I tried to hide my disappointment so that everything would seem fine to her.

"Is that what he was worried about? Maybe he does have interest" She asked

"I guess" I said in the middle of a sigh

"But…I care about you too Seth" She said as I lifted up my head.

"It's just that I've been waiting for him to make a decision for a long time but things are different now, he's not the only guy who makes me happy. You always make me in a bright mood and you have such kindness in your voice, I have no idea what I'm doing"

"You don't need to know anything, just follow your heart and it will take you to where you really want to be."

"This kind of thing doesn't happen to other girls, this is way more complicated than anyone else can even imagine"

"You'd be surprised, I have seen people in your situation and it turned out fine. Everything works out in the end, you just have to have faith that it will."

"Seth, I think I love you but I love Torbin too and I don't want to hurt either one of you"

"Regardless of who you choose I will always be your friend, remember that. Ill never stop caring for you"

"Thank you Seth"

After that we finished our lab pretty quietly, we threw in little comments here and there but it seemed a little awkward, I didn't like it and it was frustrating how in just a short time how weird things have become.

The day ended with nothing interesting happening, was actually a relief because I was sick of all of the 'interesting' things happening lately. On the way back to our home it was quiet, maybe because I had so much on my mind that I was too distracted to notice any outside actions.

We got home at around 4pm, I almost forgot about going to the hockey game with Elizer so I had to stop myself from getting distracted so I wouldn't forget. I spent my time sitting on the front porch just looking at the sky, trying to think of what might happen and what I want to happen. I wish I could ask Alice but me being a shape shifter clouds her visions regarding me, figures.

"You've got a lot on your mind" Edward said as he sat next to me.

"I don't even know what's going on in my head; you probably know more than I do." I said

"The kid seems like a pretty tamed vampire though, that is fortunate"

"I guess but when it comes to Lex he acts like he wants to kill me"

"Maybe, that happens when you have to fight for the one you love" he said. I liked talking with Edward because he can pick up parts to your problems on his own so you don't have to say everything that was making you upset.

"So what am I suppose to do?" I asked

"If this girl is worth fighting for then you can't give up, as long as you think she will choose you." When he said that I thought about it and I wasn't sure, whenever she mentioned Torbin her eyes would start to gaze off into some fantasy world. It was obvious that she loved him, weather her or not that was really true about me I wasn't so sure. I heard a car honk its horn, I looked up and it was Elizer with his dad. I called out to wait one minute as I got up and went in the house to get my wallet just encase.

"Try not to get too distracted over it, freeing your mind will do wonders" Edward said to me as I was leaving.

I decided to take Edward's advice and completely block out everything else that happened today, that didn't matter now. The Sabres were playing the Maple Leafs and Elizer says that when we play them there is a lot of tension in the crowd so it should be fun.

We parked about a foot-ball field away from the arena and while walking there we passed a lot of already drunk fans from both teams and it was quite entertaining watching them interact with each other. Whenever someone in the other team's jersey walked by they were sometimes booed but it didn't bother them because it is part of the fun of going to the other team's arena.

"Expect to see a good 10 goal game" Elizer said

"On whose side? I don't follow hockey very closely" I asked

"On our board of course, if we are ever to beat a team its Toronto."

The atmosphere was electrifying; there was so much energy and emotions that thinking of anything besides the game was impossible. We were only a few rows back from the glass so we had a terrific view of the game. At first I was a bit lost of what was going on but after the first puck went in it was obvious that that was all I needed to know, the entire arena erupted into a thunderous cheer.

By the second period I was really getting into the game, it was 2-0 by now and I was praying for another goal because when they scored the energy was so intense that it made everyone feel great. Soon enough they did and I don't think I have ever screamed so loud, it was amazing that I cared so much about a game that I had just recently started participating in.

"This is amazing!" I yelled to Elizer

"Fun huh?"

"Is it always like this?"

"When we win but even if we lose there is usually something to go nuts about"

By the third period it was 5-0, whenever the Sabres scored a goal everyone would let out a huge roar and Elizer and I would hug for a second and proceed to go nuts over again. The environment made a great impression on me, everyone acted like a family. When the team scored you see yourself high fiving strangers and Elizer's dad was even hugging random people that he didn't even know though that may be only because of the beer assisting, heh.

The end of the game arrived and the Sabres won 8-0 and as the players were leaving the ice the crowd game them a standing ovation, they deserved it.

"That was so intense" I told Elizer

"Yeah these games always are. Your lucky too, my first game the Sabres lost 6-0" He said with a chuckle.

"I remember though that the score didn't matter, it was just my family and I and even though my dad was a bit disappointed I was still having a blast. At the time it was something I had never experienced before and it was breath taking, I was just glad to be there. Now when I went to a winning game it was like going to a totally different thing because of how louder it was, was fun for everyone. Those and games like tonight's are the ones that I remember and cherish the most, thank for coming Seth."

"Thanks for the invite, it was really one of the best nights of my life, I rarely experience anything like that. I went to a foot ball game back when I was younger but I was too young to actually cherish it but your right, nights like tonight are the ones worth remembering."

"Hopefully we can go to some more" Elizer said

"Totally"

Elizer's dad dropped me off at the Cullen house, I walked in and went right to my room, and everyone else was preoccupied with one thing or another. I laid on my bed and began to think but stopped myself, I was in such a great mood and still had butterflies in my stomach and I didn't want to spoil it so I decided to go to sleep, I always enjoyed dreams after a great day.


	5. Three Big Bad Men and The Vampire

**Seth's POV**

The next month was frustrating; everything seemed to have more meaning than it did before, like everything was a fight for something. I have been getting close to Lex and just trying to act like I would have before the confrontation with Torbin but it seemed strange. I felt like we were drifting apart, that we just had different feelings. I still liked talking with her and that was the same but the energy in her voice has dimmed. I still looked forward to school though, I liked being around Lex and Elizer, being around people is something that I always found comforting.

The next day during lab class Lex seemed different, she seemed sick.

"Whats up?" I asked

"I….I'm not sure, I think I may have had a bad dream last night or hit my head"

"What do you mean?"  
"Just something I saw, its too unbelievable to be true, had to have been a dream" When she said that it got me thinking, there are a lot of things that are true but are perceived as dreams to regular people, I just wonder what it was.

"Tell me, you got my attention with that"

"Well it started when I was taking a walk by the suburban woods…"

_~Flashback~_

_Lex's POV_

_ I was walking around the woods with my cousin, we had heard that there was a hill that we could sled down so we headed in the direction we were told. We came across two paths and decided to split up, when one of us reached the hill we would just call the other one to turn around and we would meet there. _

_ I took a path but after a few minutes I didn't think it was the right way, the path started to widen and the area become more vast, I looked around and there was a large area that was surrounded by trees, completely isolated from anything, I liked it. It was very relaxing so I just kept walking farther and farther into the field. I walked over to the left side of the field and into some of the trees when all of a sudden three people appeared in the middle of the field. I didn't know how they got there so quickly. I was afraid so I ducked down into the leaves so that they couldn't see me, they were talking about something but I couldn't hear._

_ They were looking around the field, at the trees as if they were looking for something, I was starting to think that splitting up wasn't such a good idea. I stared at the ground and closed my eyes, I was hoping that if I kept my eyes off of them that they would go away, I was also hoping that when I opened my eyes that I would be in my room, hoping that it was a dream. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and slowly crept my head up to see the strange people in the middle of the field. As my eyes found them my eyes widened, they were staring right at me. I quickly looked down and tried not to make any sudden movements but I knew that they had already seen me. _

_ I looked up again and they were still looking at me, I stared into their eyes for a few seconds but then they started walking towards me. I couldn't move, my eyes were locked onto theirs and it was like I was paralyzed. They came half way across the field when suddenly they stopped, they looked all around like they had become the pray. A look of concern washed over them as they spun in circles, looking for who was coming. I hoped it was my cousin, I don't know why because two girls couldn't possibly fight off three grown men. I thought about that and then I hoped for Seth to come, I imagined him coming through the trees and scaring them off, I hoped that anyone would come and get rid of them. _

_ While I was imagining Seth someone else came approached the three men, he was too far away for me to make out what he looked like. The three men looked frightened, the fourth man didn't look that big compared to the other three they were still afraid. The three men slowly formed a circle around the fourth but even as they did he stood confidently. One of the three men motioned his body in an angry manor while the other two looked on. The fourth man then gradually bent his knees a little and took on a fighting stance. _

_ Before I could even blink one of the three men was on the ground while the fourth man charged at the other two. They were moving so fast, it seemed like they were just blurs. I was frightened so I couldn't see properly but I was just hoping that the fourth man would get rid of the other three. The three men were trying to grab onto the fourth but he kept evading with such speed, with every evasion there was a counter attack to go with it which always sent the others flying. Suddenly the fourth man grabbed the arm of one of the other men and the leg of another and smashed them into each other, he was incredibly strong. He then threw the men in separate directions; one of them was less than 50 yards away from me. _

_ I was staring at the one closest to me, hoping that he forgot that I was there but as I glimpsed up and the fourth man my eyes widened and the other two men let out a blood curling shriek. The fourth man had his foot on top of the crushed skull of one of the other men; there was blood on the fourth man's leg and stomach. The man on the ground even with a crushed skull still twitched his legs and hands. I looked in horror as well as the other two men, the fourth man just looked at them and it looked like he was smiling. The man closest to me ran next to the other and positioned himself to attack. One of them took off, running at the fourth man and the other followed. No sooner did the two men start running at the fourth man did he start running at them. They soon became a blur to me but when they got closer to each other the fourth man flipped over the first man and grabbed for his back and in all of the 2 seconds it happened my body was trembling. The fourth man had grabbed for the back of the other man's neck and tore out the spinal cord of the man who crashed to the ground and laid motionless, the man held the bone in his hand as he charged at the other one who was starting to slow down. The fourth man dropped the spinal cord out of his bloody hand and grabbed the shoulders of the last one alive. He had a look of terror and suddenly the fourth man gripped harder on the other's shoulders and the man let out a loud scream. While gripping his shoulder he ripped both of his arms off and then grabbed the shirt of the last man. He grabbed his hair and pulled, he was now holding the head in one hand and holding onto the body with the other. The fourth man then threw the head to the side and grabbed the body and held it up to his face, he began to drink the blood of the headless neck of the dead man._

_ My mouth was wide open as were my eyes, my entire body was trembling, I wanted to run away but I couldn't I couldn't move my eyes let alone move my feet. The fourth man, the only man alive hear was drinking from the headless man as if it were a fountain. I don't know how long I was watching but eventually the man threw the body to the side and looked up into the sky. The bottom half of his face was all red, it was like something out of a horror movie or a dream, I was hoping it was a dream. The man looked in my direction and a shock wave surged through my body; he turned in the opposite direction of me and casually walked away. _

_ I still couldn't move, I was just staring out into the recent battle field, there seemed to be more red snow than there was white snow. My heart beat was incredibly fast, I just waited as it slowed down. Then I jumped when I felt something against my hip, it was my phone vibrating. I had 5 missed calls and just as many missed texts, all from my cousin. I read the latest one which asked why I wasn't answering. Before I could reply I thought about my phone, what if I had the sound on? I could have been killed, the ray of shock rained over me for a few seconds when I looked down at my phone again, I told her to wait where the two paths meet, I walked around the carnage and stayed inside the trees so I could not be seen. When I met with my cousin she said that she had found the hill and wanted to make plans to go down it some time, I just agreed with a blank face, I was not sure if what I had just seen was real or not. The thought struck me that the mysterious man who had just killed the other three was still out there so I urged my cousin to return to her house with me, she wanted me to see the hill for myself but I told her I took her word for how cool it was and I was almost running out of the woods._

_~End Flashback~_

**Seth's POV**

"I don't think I was ever the scared before, it was like he was a vampire" She finished, it was like he was a vampire, she was right but didn't believe it herself. I knew that she didn't think that I believed her.

"How do you know it was a dream?" I asked

"When I woke up the next morning and thought about it the more I realized that it had to be a dream, there was no way any of that could happen in a million years" She said in an unsure voice.

"You think I'm crazy don't you?" she asked

"Not at all, there are a lot of sick people out there and like you said, it was probably a dream right?"

"I hope it was, I am not sure what to believe."

"Have you told anyone else?" I asked

"No, anyone else would have laughed and tried to scare me at the first chance they could, even Torbin would laugh and say I'm being dumb"

"I'm glad you told me, no one should feel that they have to bottle things like this up, even if it was a dream. Try and get some more sleep, you need to relax a little to help sort your mind out" I suggested

"Ill try, thanks for being so understanding Seth…" She said as the bell rang, I wasn't sure if she had something else to say or not, her face looked like she was unsure herself.

"Anytime" I answered as we separated to our next classes

For the remainder of the school day all I could think about was her so called dream, I knew it wasn't a dream but it was best for her to think it was. Someone thinking that there are vampires without any real evidence to prove to themselves would be quite mind boggling I would imagine. She didn't need to go through that, I just had to make sure that the vampire wouldn't come back for her.


	6. A Heart Breaking Solution

**Please Comment/Review**

**Lex's POV**

Questions about reality and fiction arose, there were things that were not true but wished were and things that were true but wished weren't. Then there were things I wasn't sure about, the incident with the murders had me more shaken up than I have ever been before. Every time I looked out the window or into the sky I saw a face, halved with a dripping blood stain. I would stare off into the imaginary horror until I was shaken out of it by someone else.

Recently I have been spending more time with Seth, he seems to understand where I am coming from and he always listens. I want to tell Torbin but something like this isn't exactly something I want everyone knowing, I don't think he would make fun of me but I don't think he would believe me and the last thing I want is for him to think I'm a hallucinating mental case.

I couldn't sleep, it always occurred to me when I closed my eyes that the incident was a dream and if that was the case I didn't ever want to sleep again, I never wanted to have to go through that ever again. Those were the times where I hoped it was real, so that I could sleep without me freaking out every time my eyes closed but just when I get myself into that mindset I think to myself weather that creature will come back for me. There was no doubt in my mind, he saw me.

At school is where I felt safe, my mind is centered on the belief that bad things don't happen in crowds of people so whenever I was around people I was able to relax but whenever I was alone I felt like puking. I never really had any deep fears before, when I was little I was afraid of heights but ever since my mom took me on a helicopter ride it was gone, I wish my situation was like that, where someone could guide me through it. Though I wished it could be like that I knew it could not, I could not be guided into my dreams, I could not be guided to be alone, this was something I had to deal with myself.

The days seemed to go by slowly, whenever I was in the middle of a class period or just waiting alone at home for someone to come home it seemed like the minutes were hours and the hours were days. It seemed like that but when I looked at the calendar I see that more days have passed than even expected. It has been 2 full weeks since the incident but it felt like less than one, and the days felt like weeks themselves. I really think I am losing my mind, imagining things happening and just sitting on the couch playing out scenarios that never end well; a happy ending seemed far from grasp at this point. Eventually I began to dose off for short periods of time, very short. I never knew it was possible to catch yourself sleeping; I would be in the middle of a dream and all of a sudden catch myself and force my self awake. Even if the dream was good I would jump up in my bed or on the couch, I remembered how before the murders everything seemed fine, everything seemed great but that changed in an instant, I did not want to take any chances.

It was a new week and I knew that today was going to be a long day, Mondays were always the worst day of the week but I did not get any sleep at all, I was dizzy and could barley think straight. Whenever I was near Torbin I tried my best to pull myself together, I didn't want to see how I was really doing, I didn't want him to worry. I had almost become a ghost at Hutch Tech, I still hung out with my normal friends but I didn't say much, sometimes they forgot that I was even there.

At lunch Torbin tried to talk to me and even when he thought he had my attention, I just couldn't keep my mind on him, concentrating on any one thing was impossible. Even through my lab class, the period where I used to talk the most, was silent. Seth tried to get my mind on other things but I wouldn't budge, I tried but still nothing. After school I was walking towards the line of buses that they had lined up in front of the school but as I approached mine I stopped, the buses were very crowded and probably the last place that I wanted to be right now so I turned around and decided to walk home, being away from all that noise and commotion would be for the best. As students were loading on the bus I passed by the parking lot where the students who had cars were departing, I found Seth with my eyes as he was getting in his brother's car. After he closed the back door he looked out the window and met with my eyes, we stared into each others eyes a little bit, mine were like a lost puppy. As the car was about to leave it got all of 2 feet before it stopped and Seth exited the car, he said something to the other two people in the car and came walking towards me, I was so relieved.

"Seth!" I mind as well have cried out like a baby wanting her mother

"Lex, how come you're not on your bus?" he asked

"I just…needed to think a little"

"I promise, nothing is going to happen regarding what you may or may not have seen in the woods. This constant paranoia can't be good for you" he said, I knew that but I couldn't help it. I looked up into the skies as we walked along the side walk towards a big park; it was designed like a giant race track, a 3 mile circle.

"I just keep thinking, what if the killer comes after me because of what I saw, I keep imagining that anyone as school could have been him"

"You really believe that someone is after you?" He asked, I expected a quick answer from my mouth but what was about to come out was something I didn't want to know.

"Yes" I said in a low, cracking voice.

"As long as I'm around nothing is going to happen to you, you have a lot of people who really care for you and wouldn't let anything happen to you, keeping yourself closed off is not the way to make yourself happier or safer"

"You haven't seen what I have, it doesn't matter how many people are around me the man will kill everyone" I said as we stopped, Seth looked into my eyes as he led me to a bench and we sat down together

"I promise, that nothing will be able to harm you, Ill die before I let anything bad happen to you" he said trying to reassure me

"Seth, he killed 3 people, one person won't be able to take him down"

"Trust me; I know that I can protect you"

"How can you be so sure? How can you maintain this level of confidence, do you actually believe what I am telling you?"

"I do Lex, I do but I know that whatever he is capable of that I can at least do something to stop him"

"What can you do? What can anyone do? This man was not human, how fast he was, how strong he was, how he acted. How can you fair against something like that?" I almost screamed at him.

"Because I'm not human either" he said, I was confused

"What?" I questioned, I waited a few seconds for an answer, Seth seemed to be searching for something to say

"What do you mean you're not human either?" I questioned in a deeper voice

"I…I used to be…" He said in a fumbling tone

"Used to be? If you're not human then what are you?" I questioned, I couldn't tell if he was joking around or what he was thinking.

"I'm…I'm a vampire" he muttered

"A vampire? Are you serious?" I really couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was just losing his mind

"Look, I know you don't understand but trust me, the man you saw kill those people was a vampire as well if you described him right. _This_ is how I know I can protect you."

I looked into his eyes to see if he was trying to hide any emotions but they were straight forward, what he was telling me he meant with his heart. I really didn't know what to expect coming from him anymore, the fact that he has been lying to me the entire time made me consider being angry but I was too cautious and curious about what else he had to say.

"So what, you turn into a bat at night and drink people blood too?" It sounded silly asking someone but I really didn't know and I wanted to find out.

"No, turning into bats is just…just horror movie stuff"

"What about sucking people's blood?" I asked, knowing that was more important to me than finding out if he could turn into a bat

"_Other_ vampires drink people's blood, my family is different, we only need animal blood, I will never drink another person's blood"

"Your entire family are vampires?" I asked in a shocked voice, Seth's eyes widened and he bit his lips

"I…yeah, they are" he answered in an uneasy tone, he wasn't supposed to tell but I didn't care about the consequences of Seth telling me right now.

"So what makes you…vampires different?" I questioned, he looked up at me.

"Ill show you" He said as he grabbed my hand. "I can't show you here"

Seth guided me through the park and to the entrance of the woods; it was still part of the park, just like a forest version. I looked up at the trees and my feet refused to move.

"Seth, I can't go in there, not again"

"Trust me, you'll be safe" He said in a reassuring voice "I need to show you something anyway, hop on my back" he said, I looked at him, confused.

"Trust me, I really need to show you something" he said in a soft voice, the look on his face and the tone of his voice convinced me to do so. "Hold on" He cautioned.

Seth started running and before I knew it I felt like I was riding in a car, everything was moving by so quickly, the wind flowing through my hair felt amazing. We were going so fast and I look down, not believing was happening and I saw for myself, Seth was running, he was running faster than I would have ever thought possible. I looked at Seth, his hair was flowing back with the wind and I couldn't help but admire his cool, calm face and smooth black hair. Seth began to slow down as we reached the end of the park, he stopped and let me down, I was still amazed.

"Seth, that was…I don't even know what to say, you have super speed?"

"Heh, I guess you can call it that" he said with a chuckle, I can tell he was happy to see me smile.

"Do you have like super strength too?" I asked

"Well…" He said as he walked up to a fallen tree and picked it up like a base-ball bat. "I guess you can call it that" He finished

"Seth….how is this possible?" I asked in a stunned and shaky voice

"It happened about a year ago, a vampire bit me while…and I transformed into a vampire" he said as we walked towards the main street.

"Are you allowed to tell other people?" I asked

"Im not sure, vampire aren't suppose to go off and shine the spotlight on them, letting the world know of vampires is forbidden"

"Did you plan on telling me?"

"I…no, it slipped out because I didn't want you to be so worried but it doesn't change anything"

"It changes everything Seth, everything is different. If something that big managed to slip your mind then how can I be sure that anything we have been talking about since the beginning of the year meant anything?" I exclaimed, it was weird, I couldn't even explain to myself how I went from amazed to angry.

"Everything, and I mean everything that I have told you is real, I promise you that I the way I feel about you now hasn't changed"

"Leaving out something like 'I'm a vampire' is a pretty big something if you ask me, how do I even know how you really feel about me? You say that your feelings haven't changed but that doesn't mean anything if I don't know what they really are. This other vampire, is he around because of other vampires? Did he attack because of your family? Is me hanging around a vampire make me a target?" I had a lot of questions that I had never even thought about but I was pouring them out like I have, I wanted answers.

"Look vampires are around people a lot more than you think; I promise that I would not do anything to intentionally put you in any danger but…"

"But you did, murders like the one in the woods have never happened before, not like that but a little while after you arrive here there have been a spring of murders in ways that they have never seen before, the police are absolutely baffled because they have no idea what is going on, but I do and…"

"Lex please! Whatever is going on with the others I don't know but I'm telling you we had nothing to do with it. Ever since I came to this city my mind has been on you, everything that I have done since coming here is because of you, why would I do anything to hurt you?" He asked in a worried voice

"Its not just about me, other people are being killed because vampires decided that Buffalo was a nice vacation spot, people need to be warned"

"We can handle it; I swear we can take care of who is killing people. Telling others people will not make things better, it will only cause more people to get hurt and we won't be able to do a thing about it. Trust me, everything will be fine, and then things will be normal again."

"Seth, you talk about it like it is a vampire war, how can things go back to 'normal' with vampires? It seems like the type of situation that danger attracts, what is normal about that? Being around vampires doesn't make any sense for a human, its too dangerous." I said in a weak voice, I was almost crying.

"Lex…" Seth choked out in an even weaker voice

"Seth, I loved you…If you love me then you will listen. If you can get rid of the killing vampire then it would mean the world to me but if you truly care about me and truly care about the safety of the people around you then you have to understand…" I said as I was forcing myself not to cry. It became harder when a tear rolled out of Seth's eyes, as much as I was sure that vampires were bad news, I still loved him.

"Lex, I can't live without you, you are everything to me, everything I think about has something to do with you, every time I sleep at night it is about you, what can I do to be with you?" he said as he put his hand on my cheek.

"Seth…." I murmured as I leaned closer to his face, my heart was beating fast as our lips met. His lips were warm and as we kissed I felt a deep connection with Seth, Id dint want to let go but I knew I had to, I released pulled back my face and hugged him closely. My mouth was besides his ear and I whispered "nothing".

I released the hug and looked into Seth's golden eyes, tears were falling down his cheeks and I felt bad for leaving but I had to remind myself of what could happen and what has already happened. I walked to the bus stop which was a few yards away and like it was meant to be a bus stopped as soon as I got there, I boarded it and took a seat after paying the fee. I looked out the window and Seth hadn't moved, he was in the same spot with the same face looking up at me. I glanced below and I had an impulse to look down into my eyes but I forced myself to make a quick glance at him and keep me eyes forward.


End file.
